NARWATHIWAT,THAILAND - SEPTEMBER 1: A 25 year old Thai Malay Muslim drug user (R) sits with other friends feeling the effects after consuming 4x100, the popular cheap narcotic drink, on September 1, ... more

NARWATHIWAT,THAILAND - SEPTEMBER 1: A 25 year old Thai Malay Muslim drug user (R) sits with other friends feeling the effects after consuming 4x100, the popular cheap narcotic drink, on September 1, 2011in Narwathiwat, southern Thailand. Translated as " sii khun roi," 4 x 100 is a mix of the illegal kratom leaf, cough syrup and Coca-Cola with added ingredients like tranquilizers and marijuana. Many unemployed young ethnic Thai Malay Muslims are becoming more embedded in daily substance abuse and a culture of drugs as they turn to substances such as 4 x 100, marijuana and methamphetamines to cope with daily life. In southern Thailand for the last 6 years there has been almost daily violence happening over a wide region which has claimed more than 4,000 lives. The on-going, low grade insurgency and violence is between Muslim separatists, and the Thai security forces in a country that is over 95% buddhist. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) less